Thursday, March 14, 2024

Zechariah 12:10–11 The Spirit of grace freely given for redemption


We will mourn Him as an only Son, begotten by the Father. Jesus Christ is the  visible person of the invisible Godhead.


Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.


Grace beautiful grace, unmerited and undeserved, the grace of God given to mankind as an invaluable gift…We only need to acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. The working of the Holy Spirit leads us to conviction and repentance. 


Jesus is the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of Him. 


All things are held up by Him and He purged our sin and tore the veil that separates us from God by His death on the  Cross and His Resurrection. He now sits at the right hand of the Father. His work for mankind was finished. 


Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power. Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand. Power over all principalities and dominions and every name named not only in this world but also in the world to come.


in Lamentations 3:21-24, it's like hope emerged for the first time: "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him. '" 


Hope. Love. Mercy. Faithfulness. Thinking on these things helps align our thoughts with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 


It's crucial for us, too, to remember that the Lord alone is our portion and inheritance today. Not answered prayers or financial provision or perfect circumstances. No other security in this world is sure like the Lord Himself. Knowing, believing and living like the Lord is our portion is the beginning of where hope will flow.


Charles Spurgeon says it this way: "We had new mercies this morning, and we will have fresh mercies this evening. God has not forgotten us. The very breath in our nostrils is a proof of his goodness to us; let us, therefore, dear friends, still hope for yet further favors from him." First 5


Yes. Life hurts. And all of us can see, or name, broken places.
Even so. In all of us, even the broken places, there is still a yearning.

 A hunger.
A need to know that we count.
That we matter.
That someone knows us, and sees us, and is willing to open their arms, wide no matter what.


And here’s the deal: “You can't get away from a love that won't let you go.” Robert Capon. The reality of true Grace is that it does not waiver or diminish. It does not depend upon our response, performance, attitude, faith or checkered past. It just is.


Why? Because Grace heals not by taking shame away, but by removing the one thing our shame makes us fear the most: rejection.
In my experience, it is easier to talk about grace, than it is to embrace it.
Just as it is easier to talk about God, than to experience God.


You want certainty?
Okay. Here's what I know for certain:
We will not always learn from our mistakes.
We will check our phone messages even while on a silent retreat.
We will never fully understand the opposite sex, even if we compare them to planets.
Dancing is always good for whatever ails us.
Regardless of our best intentions, we will hurt the people we love.
Regardless of our pain, spring will always give us irises.
And. It is not easy to fall into the open arms of love.
However.
This I do know: we will only know grace through the open arms of one another. Sabbath Moments 


Zechariah 12:10–11

10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The New King James Version


Grace is special favor freely given by God to the nation, whereas pleas for mercy represent Yahweh’s response to the nation’s petitions. The two together portray the vast extent of divine providence. The change in pronoun is done for stylistic reasons; the subject is still God. 


This phrase refers to the heartbreaking effect the nation’s idolatry has on God. John’s Gospel uses this phrase at the end of a sequence of old testament allusions and quotations designed to show how the details of Jesus’ crucifixion aligned with biblical prophecy. 


The great mourning will resemble the laments that accompanying the loss of an only child. Faithlife Study Bible


This metaphor is derived from the deluge of winter rains and speaks of abundant provision (Job 36:28 Lamentations.2:19). 


Spirit of grace refers to the gracious working of the Holy Spirit that leads to conviction and repentance. The Spirit will stimulate an attitude of repentance and prayer for God’s mercy. There are many significant ministries of the Holy Spirit in the period of the Hebrew kingdom. 


Me whom they pierced is viewed in the Jewish Talmud text as referring to the Messiah who will be pierced in battle. The messianic view is favored by the fact that Jesus was pierced with a spear after His death on the Cross (John 19:34). The NKJV Study Bible


The day here spoken of, is the day of Jerusalem’s defence and deliverance, that glorious day when God will appear for the salvation of his people. 


In Christ’s first coming he bruised the serpent’s head, and broke all the powers of darkness that fought against God’s kingdom among men. In his second coming he will complete their destruction, when he shall put down all opposing rule, principality, and power; and death itself shall be swallowed up in that victory. 


The Holy Spirit is gracious and merciful, and is the Author of all grace or holiness. He, also, is the Spirit of supplications, and shows men their ignorance, want, guilt, misery, and danger. 


At the time here foretold, the Jews will know who the crucified Jesus was; then they shall look by faith to him, and mourn with the deepest sorrow. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary


John 19:37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”


Ezekiel 39:29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”


Joel 2:28–29 

“And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

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